Assistant Buying Manager

Assistant Buying Manager
Beauty and Healthcare Categories Available
Fixed Term Contract / Secondment Opportunities

Our Assistant Buying Managers work at pace, building excellent relationships both internally and externally, as well as across functions. You’ll be able to demonstrate great team management skills, and work with agility to deliver the best opportunities for Boots. You’ll be accountable for executing the commercial strategy across your categories and executing the best possible delivery against this ambition.

Key Responsibilities

• Maximising sales, profit and market share by pulling the traditional levers of pricing, promotion, supplier management and range management, ensuring all plans are truly omnichannel
• Strong management of Gross Profit through driving Own Brand participation and supplier funding, while reducing loss and product write off.
• Flawless delivery of the plan with a strong focus on operational excellence across all KPIs whilst adapting where needed as things change.
• Using insights to drive the category: gathering and understanding a range of consumer and market insights to ensure the plan is built with the customer first. Ongoing analysis of performance to optimise in flight.
• Identify the role for Boots brands in the category, and work with Product/Brand teams to identify agile, profitable solutions where relevant
• Support with the development and implementation of the customer and category strategy
• Feed into the budget and forecasting process
• Develop strong relationships with the supplier base on behalf of Boots, leading on detailed omnichannel plans with key JBP suppliers, negotiating the best plan, whilst always representing the organisation in a professional way
• Maintain strong relationships with key internal stakeholders, facilitating excellent cross functional collaboration – especially stores, digital,
• product and marketing colleagues. Be expert in commercial and marketing process, accurately delivering to all necessary deadlines.
• Understand and demonstrate performance leadership skills within immediate team and amongst virtual team(s).

A bit about you

• Previous experience in a commercial trading or buying role, with strong influencing and problem-solving skills and the ability to build a broad and diverse network
• Can confidently negotiate with suppliers and influence others.
• Attention to detail and communicates effectively with excellent written and verbal communication skills and can manage working in a matrixed organization.
• Commercially astute with the ability to build a plan that manages sales, profit and share. A strong understanding of the category trading account, the factors that influence profit, and the impact of cash, for both externally sourced products and own brands
• Ability to interpret data to generate insights to inform business decisions and can use your own initiative to create and/or seek out solutions.

Benefits

We have a great range of benefits that go beyond salary and offer flexibility to suit you:

• Competitive holiday allowance (with the option to buy more days)
• Boots Retirement Savings Plan pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Enhanced Maternity / Paternity / Adoption leave pay
• £100 gift card for colleagues expecting/adopting a baby
• Flexible benefits scheme (via salary sacrifice) including financial wellbeing support, gym membership, holiday buying, dental cover, life assurance, restaurant discount cards, activity passes and much more (exclusions may apply, eligible roles only)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme offering free, independent and confidential counselling and support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Generous staff discount (with enhanced discounts for Boots brands, Boot Opticians and Boots Hearingcare)
• Access to corporate third-party discounts, including retail, cinema, holidays and more (UK only)
• Access to the Boots Benevolent Fund, a registered charity that offers support to eligible current and former colleagues in the UK, as well as their immediate relatives, at times of financial hardship.
• Access to a range of learning and development resources and programmes
• Excellent onsite facilities, including; staff shop, opticians, gym, coffee shops, cafeteria, outdoor seating spaces, dry cleaning service and excellent travel links including on campus bus stops

*All rewards and benefits are subject to change and eligibility.

Why Boots

Our mission is to help everyone to feel good. This starts internally – with every colleague and every team. In our stores and pharmacies, our warehouses and our Support Office, we work together, putting our customers first and our colleagues at the heart of everything we do. We aim to attract, develop and retain the best people, with a huge range of opportunities for you to continue to grow with us… just bring your passion and commitment and we’ll do the rest.

Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the centre of everything we do in our business. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, passionate about embracing the diversity of our colleagues and providing a positive and inclusive working environment for all.

We offer a variety of flexible working patterns to support our colleagues to achieve a good work life balance, just speak to our Recruitment team to find out more.

We currently operate a fixed hybrid working approach for Support Office team members with a mix of remote and office-based working. Our set office days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with team members able to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.

What’s next

If your application is successful, our in-house recruitment team will be in touch to arrange an interview and to answer any initial questions you have. If you have not been successful on this occasion you will be notified by email.
If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact emily.russell@boots.co.uk